11 Surefire Window Display Ideas You Need To Learn About

Window display is one of the important elements of visual merchandising which serves as retailer’s 3D advertisement that is usually found in front of a retail store. But, we cannot blame those retail store owners who do not know the great benefits they can get from a well planned and well-dressed store windows.

In fact, it safe to say that most small scale retail store owners all through out the world do not even know what visual merchandising is all about. It might be surprising but it is true.

In the country where I am currently working, Brunei Darussaalam (it is small yet rich country in South-east Asia), you can only count with your fingers the numbers of shop windows that can be considered attractive.

A year ago, one of our readers of this blog submitted the photos of his window display projects from his town and he shared that he was even mocked because he was dressing the windows of some stores in his town.

Despite of this truth, window display is still an indispensable tool draw shoppers into your store and drive sales. It has been used for more than a century (since Silfridge started in 1909) and the techniques being applied on setting up up great windows are becoming more and more fascinating in every decade that passes by.

According to Sean Reed, CEO of Fashion Media, “Window displays are important in retail stores throughout the world extending from high streets to the mall environment. They are the shop front to consumers and influence the consumer’s decision on whether to enter the store or not. ”

The 11 Essential Ideas

If you are thinking about how to capture the attention of the busy people and lure them into your store to make a purchase, let me share with you these 11 ideas.

Each of these point is link to an article from this blog which further discusses the topic that is being mentioned in each number. They are too long to incorporated on this single post that is why each of them are being discussed on separate pages.

For sure you know that a water molecule is consist of Oxygen and Hydrogen. You cannot have water without any of these elements. The same is true with window display, you need the elements before you can have the whole thing.

Themes is the first thing to come in mind of visual merchandisers when planning a window display. Once a theme is chosen, the planner can to other necessary thing to make up a window. Finding good is easier when you which category of themes you wanted to focus into into.

When you running out of creativity which ofttimes happen during lot of projects to considers, you need inspiration to rekindle you right brain. A friend once told me that we need borrow some idea form other creative individuals and make it better.

I know that you know that the first ultimate goal of a window display is to capture attention. Just just other marketing tools, you need a trick in your display to catch the attention of the people walking in the street in front of you shop.

Mannequins are the most well-known props that are being talked about in visual merchandising. They are use in lieu of human being. Just like real human, they also need a make over to look more elegant and pleasing.

We always want to focus on lees expensive materials to use on out venture of grabbing attention, presenting the merchandise well and increasing sales. This is the reason why we are giving more emphasis on the use of paper on our effort of achieving our goal.

Display Window vs. Window Display

These two terms are often time interchanged but there are two different terms. The “display window” refers to the window which is being dressed while the “window display” refers to the display in window.

Confused? Let us differentiate it further.

A display window is also called shop window by British people and store window by American people. It is the place where merchandise is being display to attract people.

A window display is the aesthetic presentation of merchandise and props inside a shop/store window. The act of decorating and putting up merchandise in a store window is called window dressing.

A man who does display window is called carpenter or maybe a construction worker.

A man who does window display is called widow dresser or maybe a visual merchandiser.

Window Display as Art and Design

When we talk about “Art”, we deal more about on aesthetics and the viewer’s personal interpretation of the subject, but when talk about “Design”, we deal more about on the single right message that can be understood by different types of people.

In window display, we are trying to blend “Art” and “Design”. We want to show a spectacular display with unforgettable message.

Before we can do that, let us start from the basic.

Planning Your Display

Perhaps you already heard your teacher says, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail.” Well, it sounds like a worn out saying but it still very true as it was. Planning will help you sort you priorities and eliminate the unnecessary things which make you busy yet don’t give you a better result.

The famous Leadership mentor John C. Maxwell activity doesn’t equal accomplishment. Your goal should not be to simple stay busy. Control your day or you day will control you.

Because of many things you do in a day, the tendency is that you will just set up mediocre display especially if it is unplanned. You will simply pick merchandise which you wanted to and add props that are handy. The end result – clutter. Failed.

To avoid that happen, lay-out your window display plan and make a calendar so that whenever you encounter new idea or material, you know when and where you can apply them. This makes your job lighter then squeezing your creativity and resources when the deadlines are getting closer.

Designing a Window Display

Producing a window that draws thousands of visitors is not a magic. There might be tricks that were applied to make it happen but it passes though a process. It started with a research, brainstorming, sketching, making a layout and applying the basics of design in able to delivers the right message the you want you viewers to understand.

Window display more is more on Design than Art. Here, your target is to deliver the same message to different types of people. You expect that everyone who sees your window will get the message that you want them to perceive.

Props and Budget

One of the barrier often time is the “budget” especially if you are a visual merchandiser who have a boss who is not willing to spend extra dollars to produce a display that can reasonable capture the attention of the people around.

I understand that this is really a difficult situation, but creativity often lessen expenses. This is why id you can observe from this blog, we have posted a lot of cost-effective display ideas .

Some windows may require larger cost while other may only need you effort on making custom-made props.

We stop here for the meantime and we recommend that you also read our article on visual merchandising.

I have a niche shopping website dedicated to room divider folding screens with photo and art print images. These are perfect for window displays as inexpensive attractive backdrops. Over 200 different images to choose from. I would love to share some pictures.

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